Their Last Day
by crystaltambaia
Summary: The Marauders’ and Lily’s last day at Hogwarts. Full of laughter, crying and new beginnings. One Shot


**Title: Their Last Day**

**Summary**: The Marauders' and Lily's last day at Hogwarts. Full of laughter, crying and new beginnings.

**Author**: Crystaltambaia

A/N: I felt like writing something short today. This is a one-shot fic, but if you read this, please go on to read my other stories. Thanks!

* * *

"Oh no! James, I can't find my Hogwart's cloak! I can't lose that now. I want to keep it!" Lily ran to the other side of her bed and threw back the sheets, as if expecting that they had turned up there over the last five minutes. She looked at her boyfriend of almost a year, James Potter, who had no answers for her in his handsome hazel eyes.

"Lily...please. Can we do this later? We need to say goodbye to everyone." Lily narrowed her eyes at James.

"No James, we can't. That cloak is very special to me. I wore it—well I wore it on our first date." Lily blushed at the memory. It had been an oddly cold day in July when she had agreed to go out with her arch nemesis for a date, so she remembered that she had been wearing the cloak. "Besides," she added. "It's not like you're never going to see your friends again. You have a party planned for tonight, remember?"

James remembered. He had something very special planned for that party. Lily had no idea. He then shook his head, realizing just how very futile it was to argue with his girlfriend...and well, he hoped by tonight, maybe more. He turned around and walked through the door, shaking his head. This day wasn't going well at all. First, Sirius had woken him up at five in the morning reminding him that this was their last day at Hogwarts, then Remus had said that they had left the invisibility cloak in the Shrieking Shack a couple of days ago. It was now eight and he was hungry. He turned back to Lily, planning to ask her if she wanted to come to breakfast with him, but the look of anger on her face at not being able to find her cloak decided it for him. He fled.

* * *

Once at breakfast, he spied Sirius stuffing himself.

"Oi mate," James said, sitting down across from his friend, "I thought you would have eaten hours ago, seeing as how you woke us all up at FIVE in the morning." Sirius turned red and mumbled something that seemed like an apology.

"Sorry mate, I was excited."

"How can you be excited? You spent the better part of the last seven years here. Aren't you going to miss it?"

"A bit, but I have bad home memories of my life up until now. Well, except this last year." James nodded in agreement. Sirius had lived with him for the last year. "And now, I'm finally living on my own. I can look at my family and laugh at them. I can say 'Ha! Look at me now! I didn't need your charity.' And that means a lot to me. Plus I get to see you make a fool of yourself tonight. Who won't want to miss that?" James forced a grin. In actual fact, he was very worried about what was going to happen tonight, especially with the mini arguments that he and Lily had had already this morning.

"But what if something happens? What if she doesn't like it?"

"She will, trust me. I know these things." James had to laugh at that.

"Padfoot, mate, you've NEVER had a serious relationship. You are DEFINITELY not the one that should be giving me advice." With that, James got up and wandered around to say goodbye to other people.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lily was distraught. She had found her cloak, but discovered that the gold necklace James had gotten her at Christmas was now missing. 'He'll be furious. That thing cost him a fortune.' She madly ripped the mattress off of her four poster bed and searched the boards underneath with no luck. She tore the drawers out of her bedside cabinet and emptied the contents onto the floor. Also no luck. Finally, she stormed into the bathroom and took out her wand.

"Accio necklace!" she cried. Two necklaces came flying at her from beneath the drainpipe under the bathroom sink, but they weren't it. She stuck them on top of the counter, hoping someone would claim them and stormed back into the room, running smack into James.

"Oh James!" she gasped. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," said James. "But you look all worked up. Come here and give me a hug." Lily walked over to him and put her arms around him, reveling in the way his smell made her forget everything in the world besides them. Then he turned her around, putting his hands on her back and massaging it. She smiled as she thought how she and James understood each other so well, were so perfect for each other. She thought back to all the time she had wasted thinking he was a prat, when in fact he was just hopelessly in love with her. She turned back around, and with her arms around her neck, looked at him, smiling.

"Lily. I love you so much. What would I ever do without you?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe find some other girl?" said Lily jokingly. James smiled lovingly down at her.

"You're the only girl I've ever truly been in love with. I don't want to lose that." With that, he kissed her gently and Lily lost herself in feeling. No matter how many times he did that, she still felt giddy. They broke apart and stared at each other breathlessly.

"I love you too James. But I have to—find—something." She took her hands off him and turned around.

"What is it you can't find now? I can help you." Lily shook her head.

"No you mustn't. I need to find this by myself."

"Why can't I help you find it? We could find it better together." Lily felt her temper rising at his remarks. She loved him but sometimes he infuriated her with his ever-burning curiosity.

"You just can't, okay! Now go away before I hex you."

"No! I won't."

"Now you just sound like a little whiny child, James. Grow up!" James opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. He turned around and stormed out of the dorms, slamming the door shut.

"I can't believe him," she muttered under her breath.

* * *

"I can't believe her," James said to Remus, furiously while they were finishing up packing in their dorm. "All I was doing was trying to help her find whatever she was looking for and she snapped."

"Well," said Remus reasonably, "maybe she was just getting stressed out by looking for all these things, and you being there wasn't helping her. Especially if it was something that made her think of you that she lost." James stared at Remus.

"How do you do these things?" he said. Remus shrugged, gathering up a few more items of clothing and stacking them neatly in is trunk.

* * *

At eleven that morning, everyone was boarding the train. James, Remus and Peter were dragging their trunks down to their compartment when a shaggy black dog bounded down the train to them and licked their hands.

"Sirius!" James whispered. "What are you doing here? You could be caught by anyone." Quickly, James shoved Sirius into the closest empty compartment, threw his bags in, and shut the door. He looked at Sirius sternly, who gave him puppy eyes back, but turned back into a human.

"That was fun, wasn't it?" asked Sirius. James just rolled his eyes, and walked over to the compartment door. He opened it and motioned for Remus and Peter to come in.

"Where's your stuff Sirius?" Peter asked. Sirius pointed behind them.

"Right there."

"How do you do that?" asked Peter admiringly. Sirius shrugged.

"I must be magic," said Sirius, then laughed hysterically at his own joke. Peter, James and Remus just rolled their eyes and waited for him to stop laughing.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the compartment door.

"Come in!" said Remus. The door slid back and revealed a disheveled looking Lily.

"Everywhere else is full..."

"Come on in," said Remus kindly. "Put your stuff away and make yourself at home." She nodded and sat down in the corner. James sat down next to her, and she scooted away from him, trying to make herself as small as possible.

"I don't think she wants you to sit next to her mate," said Sirius helpfully. James looked at him.

"You really think so?" he asked sarcastically.

"Yes I do. I think I should sit there. She likes me much better than you, don't you Lily-love." Lily didn't answer.

"Well," said Remus briskly, "who's up for a game of exploding snap?"

"Oh, oh, oh! Me, me, me!" said Sirius, jumping up and down and raising his hand. James looked at him with a disgusted expression.

"Remus, let him play before he wets his trousers."

* * *

The rest of the train ride passed much the same, neither Lily nor James willing to speak to each other. Lily, for one, had found the necklace, but in memory of their fight had buried it at the bottom of the trunk. At one point, she went outside and walked up and down the train for an hour. Finally, after what seemed like eons, the train pulled into platform nine and three quarters and she could get out of the stuffy compartment. As she walked out of the train, however, she remembered that she had to go to James' party. What fun that was going to be.

* * *

Meanwhile, James ran up to his mum and gave her a big hug.

"Mum!" he said, then pulled away. "How are you?" She shrugged.

"Oh you know, not much, just getting ready for the party tonight." James' mum grinned; she knew what her son was planning on doing. However, her face fell when she saw the expression that her son had.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing. Just Lily and I had a fight this morning and we haven't talked since. It was a stupid fight too. But I'm still going through with it."

* * *

It was later that afternoon, and Remus and Sirius were setting up a makeshift stage in the middle of the Potters' living room.

"Do you really think this is going to work, Remus?"

"I think it will. She loves him, he loves her. It's just right. I couldn't imagine those two with anyone else." Sirius nodded, and plugged in the microphone.

"Sirius! We have to cover the stage first before we put the microphone on." Sirius turned red.

"Oh. Right." They continued to work on the stage while James and his parents carried in small round tables. They were planning to make this party look like a fancy restaurant with dancing afterwards outside on their large patio. They had candles set up outside, magically charmed to produce heat as well as light so it wasn't too cold outside.

Finally they were done. James stepped back from the room, surveying it. The stage was covered and the band was setting up behind it. The round tables were each covered with a pristine white tablecloth and a flower arrangement sat in the middle.

"It's perfect," he breathed.

"You think it is?" asked his mother, coming up behind him. James turned around and smiled at her.

"Thank you for all this. You have no idea how much this means to me. This will make me the happiest man ever."

* * *

A few hours later, the guests began to arrive. Suddenly, James felt very nervous. What if Lily was still mad and didn't show up? What if she said no? But at fifteen minutes past eight, he saw her. She was coming up the drive, red hair shimmering behind her. James' heart stopped at the sight and he smiled. He walked towards her as if in a dream. She looked at him and smiled, and he knew that everything was going to work.

"Lily," he said, and caught her hands. "Look, what I said this morning—I'm sorry, I really—," but he was cut off by Lily's mouth on his. She kissed him thoroughly and broke away smiling.

"It doesn't matter. I love you James." Then, James looked down at her neck and gasped.

"You wore the necklace I gave you at Christmas," he said, and Lily nodded. "Come on then, lets get ready to party." Lily laughed and they walked up to the house, hand in hand.

* * *

James groaned and leaned back in his chair. "I'm stuffed," he said. He looked around him and realised that everyone was done eating. He suddenly sat up and took Lily by the hand.

"Come on, we have to announce the dancing." Dragging her up to the podium, he turned on the microphone.

"Hello friends, family. We are gathered here to celebrate the ending of our time at Hogwarts, and the beginning of a new life. Before we start the dancing, however, I have something I would like to say." Now James' heart was beating wildly and his hands were shaking as they went into his pocket. He turned towards Lily and knelt on the stage. He heard a collective gasp from the crowd and also from Lily.

"Lily Evans, I have loved you from the moment I stepped into Hogwarts and saw you. I will continue to love you until the day I die, and that is why I, James Potter, ask you this. Lily Evans, will you marry me?" James finally plucked up the courage to look at Lily and his heart leapt at what he saw. Lily was smiling widely, tears shining in her eyes.

"Yes," she said. That one word burned in James' heart and he felt tears prickling in his own eyes. He stood up and looked into Lily's beautiful green eyes.

"Really?" he whispered.

"Really," she said, and James bent down to kiss her, his heart happier than it had been his whole life.

"_When we walked in fields of gold..."-Eva Cassidy_

* * *

A/N: Did you like it? I hope so...Please review either way. One thing: I know that boys cant get into the girls' dorms, but for the purpose of this fic, he had to, so just forget that or say that he figured out how to. Thanks!

Crystaltambaia


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